| A | B |
|---|
| Light | a form of energy that travels at 300,000 km/s and includes all the colors that can be seen by the human eye |
| Incandescence | a process that makes light with heat |
| Fluorescence | a process that makes light directly from electricity |
| White light | light containing an equal mix of all colors |
| Color | the sensation created by the different energies of light falling on your eye |
| Photon | the smallest possible amount of light, like a wave-bundle |
| Nanometer | a unit of length equal to one billionth of a meter (0.000000001 m) |
| Electromagnetic wave | a wave of electricity and magnetism that travels at the speed of light. Light is an electromagnetic wave |
| Electromagnetic spectrum | the entire range of electromagnetic waves including all possible frequencies such as radio waves, microwaves, x-rays, and gamma rays |
| RGB color model | a model for tricking the eye into seeing almost any color by mixing proportions of red, green, and blue light |
| Pixel | a single dot that forms part of an image of many dots |
| CMYK | the subtractive color process using cyan, magenta, yellow, and black to create colors in reflected light |
| Lens | an optical device for bending light rays |
| Mirror | a surface that reflects light rays |
| Prism | a glass shape with flat, polished surfaces that can both bend and reflect light |
| Transparent | allows light rays to pass through without scattering |
| Translucent | allows light rays through but scatters them in all directions |
| Light ray | an imaginary line that represents a beam of light |
| Reflection | the process of bouncing off a surface. Light reflects from a mirror |
| Refraction | the process of bending while crossing a surface. Light refracts passing from air into water or back |
| Specular reflection | "shiny" surface reflection, where each incident ray produces only one reflected ray |
| Diffuse reflection | "dull" surface reflection, where each incident ray produces many scattered rays |
| Index of refraction | a number that measures how much a material is able to bend light |
